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Compiz

Compiz is a compositing window manager for the Xorg graphics system. It takes advantage of hardware-accelerated 3D rendering to embellish the desktop computing experience with sophisticated visual effects. Individual features are implemented as configurable plugins. The Compiz feature set includes aesthetic enhancements and functionality that improves the efficiency of window management.

Its most iconic features are the desktop cube—which presents the user's virtual desktops on the sides of a rotating cube—and wobbly windows, a feature that causes windows to jiggle when they are dragged as if they are made of a gelatinous material.

Compiz was originally created by Novell developer David Reveman to enhance the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop. Friction between Reveman and independent developers who wanted to contribute to the project resulted in the emergence of a fork called Beryl. The two were later merged back together in a joint project that was called Compiz Fusion, but efforts to unify the separate code and infrastructure fared poorly. The project also lost considerable momentum due to the inclusion of native compositing functionality in the default GNOME and KDE window managers.

A second—and more successful—attempt to consolidate the disparate factions of the Compiz community was undertaken in 2009. This resulted in the formation of the Compiz Community Council and the establishment of a new Compiz development roadmap that endorsed a C++ rewrite.

The long-term relevance and viability of Compiz got a major boost in 2010 when the developers of Ubuntu's new Unity shell decided to drop GNOME's Mutter window manager in favor of Compiz. Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, hired the lead Compiz developer and rebuilt Unity as a Compiz plugin. Compiz is currently well-maintained and has largely overcome the technical and organizational challenges that previously threatened its sustainability.